Feminism Holds No Answers for Church, Pope Says

Pope John Paul II told U.S. bishops Friday that the role of women in the church cannot be resolved by compromising with a feminism “that polarizes along bitter, ideological lines.”

“It is not simply that some people claim a right for women to be admitted to the ordained priesthood,” the Pope told the bishops. “In its extreme form, it is the Christian faith itself which is in danger of being undermined.”

The church bans divorce, abortion and women priests. It has been under some pressure, particularly in the United States, to enhance the role of women within its ranks.

The Pope told the bishops that some people in the church are promoting a kind of feminism that espouses beliefs, attitudes and behavior that do not correspond to church teachings.

“Respect for women’s rights is without doubt an essential step toward a more just and mature society, and the church cannot fail to make her own this worthy objective,” the Pope said.

But he said the rights enjoyed in society are not necessarily the same as the rights and duties of individuals within the church.

The Pope said the practice of not ordaining women is one the church has always found “in the expressed will of Christ.”